From Poynter | Three more Gannett newsrooms in New Jersey are unionizing

The following story originally appeared on Poynter: 

Journalists at three Gannett papers in Central Jersey and the Jersey Shore announced Thursday they are unionizing.

The new unit, which is calling itself the APP-MCJ Guild, includes editorial staff at the Asbury Park Press, the Courier News and the Home News Tribune. In their mission statement, the journalists wrote that they are unionizing with the NewsGuild to secure greater workplace stability that will in turn help them continue their coverage of local communities.

“We have unionized to advocate for ourselves and to support each other, to fight for fairness and equity and demand that Gannett treat us with the dignity we deserve,” the statement reads. “There is no local news without local journalists. We have unionized to preserve our high quality local news coverage and to build a better, more stable future.”

Though more than 70% of eligible members have indicated their support for unionization, Gannett has declined to voluntarily recognize the unit. Workers at the three papers will have to vote in a National Labor Relations Board election to get their union certified.

Read more here.